Ivan Mestrovic (1883-1962)
Self Portrait, 1931
I always envy the ability of a great sculptor to create a riveting piece from a single figure or a small, tightly composed group. No background, no color. Just masses composed one next to the other. Few sculptors have ever done this with the kind of imposing presence that Ivan Mestrovic brought to his work.
I know very little about him other than what can be found on Wikipedia, except that he was an artist-in-residence at Notre Dame while my father was an art student there. I can still remember visiting the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on campus and my father pointing out his dominating Pieta. Unfortunately, the Pieta posted below is not the same, but his forms are always large, dramatic and riveting. For years this was the only sculpture by Mestrovic I’d seen until I came across a very worn out catalogue from a March 1955 show of his work in Paris. Unfortunately, the book is in French so I have no idea what any of it says, but the images are fantastic and I thought I’d share a few of them here. Hope you enjoy!
Mother of the Artist, 1910
Pieta, 1932
The Annunciation, 1913
Madonna and Infant, 1917
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TN
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Mike Rauch
